How to Join the Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade

Boston is known the world over for it's vibrant Irish community, and there is no better way to join in festivities for St. Patrick's Day than by taking part in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston. Whether you're marching in the parade or amongst the crowd of hundreds of thousands of spectators, a good time is had by all at the "wearing of the green."

Things You'll Need

• Green clothes and accessories

Instructions

1. Prepare for the parade by dressing in green from head to toe. Bostonians take their parade attire very seriously, and you'll stick out like a sore thumb in any other color. Visit local party stores or other boutiques for special St. Patrick's Day garb.

2. Leave for the parade early. Traffic and parking are impossible, so your best bet is to take public transportation. Even so, give yourself plenty of travel time, as the streets are often packed with people.

3. Stake out a location along the parade route on Broadway. It's best to get there early to get a good spot, as hundreds of thousands of spectators pile into the streets for the parade.

4. Plan to stay for the duration of the parade. Once you are at the parade, it can be challenging to get out because of the crowd. The parade usually lasts for about 3 hours and showcases dozens of floats and bands, bagpipers, police groups and other marchers.

5. Join fellow pub-crawlers as they take over "Southie" (aka South Boston) following the parade. The rest of the day and night are dedicated to celebrating St. Patrick's Day in this the most Irish neighborhood in Boston.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are coming in from out of town, make your travel arrangements early. Hotels in the immediate vicinity of the parade sometimes sell out.

• Take the Red Line "T" train, Boston's subway, to the Broadway stop in order to join the crowd at the start of the parade route. From there walk to Broadway to watch the parade.

• Snag a spot at the end of the parade, Andrew Square off the Andrew "T" stop on the Red Line, to avoid the bulk of the crowd. It takes about 2 hours for the parade to make its way to this location, but you'll have more elbowroom there. This is a good place for families with small children to join the parade where there are less people.

• Be aware that there are very few restrooms open to the public along the parade route.

• Mid-March can be chilly in Boston, so dress for warmth when attending the parade.